Adoption laws vary by state, but Florida’s are pretty straightforward. Florida requires the consent of children over 12 to be adopted, which means they have a say in who could potentially adopt them.

Some facts about being an adoptive parent in Florida:

It doesn’t matter if you are married or single

You can have children already, or this could be your first

Age doesn’t matter, as long as you are an adult

You don’t have to own your own home, renting is fine

Money isn’t an issue, to a point. You need to be able to provide a home for the child

Basically if you have a big heart and would like to take on the responsibilities and joys of raising another life. Except of course certain felonies which would understandably exclude someone from being a fitting parent, such as violent crimes and crimes against children.

In 1977, adoption was made illegal in Florida, for homosexuals to adopt. Florida’s ban on gay and lesbian adoption was ruled unconstitutional in 2010, making Florida the last state in the U.S. to take this crucial step towards equality. There have been so many families and children that have benefited from this repeal. Homosexual couples are now able to marry and adopt children in the State of Florida. There are so many children in Florida’s foster system, it’s great that we aren’t turning loving families away from being great parents and giving children of all ages a loving home.

Having a lawyer on your side while you are going through the adoption process in Florida is probably a good idea. There are a lot of choices that you have when deciding the specifics of the adoption, You have the option to share information about yourself and the birth mother can share information about herself and the father, or the opposite where nothing is shared. As birth parent or adoptive parent you will be able to choose what information you desire to share and you will be advised as to what information you have a right to receive. Regardless of other stipulations in the adoption paperwork, the birth mother will be required to give medical and other information pertinent to the safe completion of the adoption.